The Calgary Flames and Craig Conroy continue to wait as Elias Lindholm and others mull over a big decision ahead of them. Does arguably the most valuable player on the Flames come to an agreement with the team on a long-term deal that has been discussed, or does he elect to play somewhere else after his contract is over? The Flames have been left in limbo and Lindholm’s decision is likely holding up the rest of the contracts discussions as well, not only because Conroy wants to see what he will be working with, but because Lindholm’s decision might sway the others.
Teams have definitely shown interest in Lindholm, as one would when a top player making $4.85 million average annual value (AAV) on the final year of his contract isn’t sure about re-signing, but clearly, nothing has come of it yet. The Boston Bruins are now a team to watch very closely, who will show more interest in Lindholm as they lost their captain, Patrice Bergeron, after he announced his retirement. For many years Bergeron has been a staple on the top line, playing incredible two-way hockey. Not only does his retirement open up cap space to work with and address the hole, but Lindholm’s cheap contract also holds the best value the Bruins will get at this point in the offseason.
Why Flames Should Cut Ties With Lindholm at This Point
The longer Lindholm takes to decide whether he wants to stay with the Flames long-term or move on when his contract is up, the worse it looks for the Flames. Typically if a contract doesn’t get done in the offseason, players would rather focus on the season and avoid distractions of negotiations. If it gets to that point and the Flames aren’t that good, once again, that isn’t an attractive selling point to Lindholm. The trade deadline is an option to move him, but if the Flames are in the same position as they were in 2022-23 and hanging around the playoff bubble, trading him would feel like giving up on the season.
If Lindholm sticks with the Flames all season and they don’t go very far, the Flames can say goodbye to Lindholm for little to nothing. Even if they make a splash this season and bounce back, there’s no guarantee he wants to spend seven to eight more years in Calgary for multiple reasons like locations, rivals, etc. The Flames have seemingly missed their Stanley Cup window, during a time the team had many talented players on great contracts. Do they really want to add another soon-to-be 29-year-old on a contract that spans deep into his late 30s?
Related: Flames Have Few Options to Alter Roster This Offseason
Why the Flames should cut ties with Lindholm now while there is a perfect opportunity with Boston is because another chance like this might not come around, and they might as well get ahead of the retool rather than being strung along and missing out on assets. Lindholm grew and became a number one center in between Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk before losing both last offseason. Then he got a new winger in Tyler Toffoli, who was traded this summer. While seeing his great linemates move on to better situations, he may very well want to experience that himself, as he’s never got a chance to test free agency.
Bruins Perfect Landing Spot for Lindholm
The Bruins seem like the perfect landing spot for Lindholm for at least this season, and the way they remain competitive and have some skilled players locked in, he could be convinced to stay longer. With Bergeron’s retirement, the Bruins currently have Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle penciled into the top two center positions. To remain a top team, they will need an upgrade, as Coyle works better as a third-line center.
Losing a two-way center like Bergeron will be a massive hit for the Bruins and can only be mended with another very good two-way center in Lindholm. While Bergeron won the Selke Trophy in 2021-22, Lindholm was the runner-up. The Bruins have a cap problem this season as salary cap overages from last season (Bergeron & David Krejci contracts) are hurting them now. This was the price they paid to assemble the team they did last season and pushed the problem until now. Taylor Hall was already dealt, no trade deadline pickups could be kept around, and there might be more moves coming.
Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun noted that although the Boston Bruins have shown interest in Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele as a potential trade option, Lindholm is still their number one choice, saying, “while moving on from Scheifele, who was attached at the hip with Wheeler for much of their time together in Winnipeg, still seems likely, it may have to wait as well. It’s possible Boston could enter the picture at some point. They likely have their eyes focused on what Elias Lindholm decides in Calgary first.” (from “Where do the Winnipeg Jets stand at midsummer?”, Winnipeg Sun, July 22, 2023). Lindholm has a lower cap hit, which the Bruins desperately need, and has the two-way ability Scheifele doesn’t possess.
The Bruins have $5.4 million in cap space to sign Jeremy Swayman, Trent Frederic, and add a center. This means there is an opportunity to move Frederic to the Flames in a deal for Lindholm. That price is probably what it will take as the Flames aren’t looking for any future draft picks, while the Bruins don’t have their 2024 first, second, or third-round picks anyways. I would imagine either Matt Grzelcyk or Derek Forbort also have to go (maybe not back to Calgary) if Lindholm is brought in.
While the Bruins are likely ready to strike a deal after the news of Bergeron, the Flames must get ahead of next offseason and make more serious decisions.